THE ROOMIE (Pedro pascal)

Chapter 5

The next morning was like any other in the middle of the city. You could hear the people on the streets and the sound of a construction that never seemed to finish.

The room where Lua slept, was filled with the light that came through the window, and when she opened her eyes, she found the crisp white color of the wall. It took her a moment to recognize where she had woken up, and slowly the memories of the day before began to race through her mind. It was probably a misunderstanding, she hopefully thought. With the fast-paced lifestyle in New York, it's not unusual to these types of accidents to occur. It would be strange if they did not happen.

Lua left the room expecting to speak to the man who she had stepped on last night, but found him still sleeping on the couch. For a moment, she felt a little remorseful that she hadn't even offered him a blanket. The man, Lua noted with irritation, was devilishly handsome. He was dressed in black jeans and a light blue shirt. On the back of the sofa was a leather jacket that had signs of use. He was tall, so his legs were sticking out of the couch, and he had bushy brown hair that fell forward over his forehead.

He was, at least while he slept, someone she could watch until she was tired, although she didn't think it was possible.

''Do you always stare at people when they are sleeping?''

Lua's face reddened when she realized that she had spent more time than what is consider normal analyzing Pedro.

''I was wondering what time you would get up.'' She found a believable lie.

He raised a brow and slowly sat up. Pedro stretched out his arms and closed his eyes for a moment. ''I'm going to call the company to let them know that we've been given the wrong keys,'' He said with a still hoarse voice. ''It would be a good idea for you to bathe first while I make the appointment with the Landlord.''

As he took his cell phone from the table, he saw how Lua entered the bathroom. He couldn't judge her for staring at him, he had taken a good look at her last night too. Her skin was flushed by what he assumed was alcohol, and complemented her plump pink lips. She had thick dark hair that matched her doe eyes. He noticed a small mole near her mouth and remembered how he thought of kissing it. Of course, before he knew who she really was.

In the shower, Lua felt the warm water fell from her head, and she experienced some relief in thinking that she had a week left off from work. She hoped that the problem with the apartment would be solved that same day, and she would have the rest of the week to catch up with homework. Unluckily, that would not happen.

The issue is that the residence was in the middle of a legal process, and as long as the divorce was in course, there would be no final decision on the ownership of the apartment. The rental company explained to them that this process could take up to six months. Lua felt her heart drop to her stomach. She did not have the money to look for another apartment, all the money that she had been able to save, she has already spent it on the deposit of that one.

''Can we talk about this tomorrow?'' Lua said when they got back to the apartment. ''I don't feel very well.''

Pedro just nodded and remained silent. The situation they were in was unbelievable, and he wasn't sure what would happen. He knew that he couldn't afford another apartment but wasn't sure if he could live with someone. That would mean letting someone get close to him. Not that he planned to befriend the young lady, but he had deliberately spent his life making sure no one got any closer to him than necessary. He had gotten used to his solitude and he liked it that way, he was comfortable and above all, he felt safe.

The afternoon passed and when it struck eight at night, Pedro disconnected his phone from the charger, making sure that it had enough battery to last the entire shift at the bar. He grabbed his keys, his wallet and then...

He heard something.

It was the sound of a faint whimper.

Pedro noticed that the door of the room was not completely closed and that the sound came from there. He decided to peek through the space that the door allowed, and he saw Lua curled into a ball. Her arms hugged her bent legs, and her head was hidden.

Pedro felt as if he had been hit in the gut. He didn't know how to react to someone crying, let alone a stranger, but at that moment, something inside of him felt a soft spot for her. He fought the urge to go over and comfort her, to tell her that everything would be okay, to let her rest her head on his shoulder, and to wipe away the tears that would probably give her a headache in a few hours.

But he wouldn't do any of that.

He didn't want to get close to someone he might have to live with. He didn't want to meet another person to worry about. There was nothing in the world that terrified him more.

And then, he forced himself to leave and not think about the matter anymore.

He had no space in his life for that kind of bond.